Industry Ink: Sam Hunt, Scott Borchetta, Sandi Spika Borchetta, Tony Martin, Ruthie Collins

UMG Team Celebrates In Tampa With Sam Hunt

Pictured (L-R): UMGN’s Brian Wright, UMGN’s Cindy Mabe, UMGN’s Mike Dungan, Sam Hunt, UMGN’s Royce Risser, UMGN’s Mike Harris, Homestead / Red Light Management’s Brad Belanger.  Photo: UMG Nashville

Universal Music Group Nashville visited with Sam Hunt after his sold-out show at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre last Friday night (July 14). The multi-platinum selling star performed for a crowd of more than 19,000 over the weekend. Hunt’s latest smash single, “Body Like A Back Road” recently broke the Billboard Country Hot 100 record for the longest running No. 1 by a solo male artist, with 23 weeks at the top spot and counting. The song has remained in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart for 16 consecutive weeks, longer than any other song in the 25-year history of the chart. It has also accumulated over 249 million streams, and is currently the No. 1 most-streamed country song, most-downloaded country song and the No. 3 most-downloaded song across all genres of 2017.

Scott And Sandi Spika Borchetta Honored By Starkey Hearing Foundation

Scott and Sandi Spika Borchetta were honored with the Humanitarian Award by the Starkey Hearing Foundation Monday night at the 17^th Annual So The World May Hear Awards. The Borchettas were bestowed the honor because of their longtime involvement with Starkey as well the TJ Martell Foundation, Hands On Nashville, American Cancer Research, City of Hope and more. The powerhouse couple created the Music Has Value Fund in 2015 to provide financial endowments to nonprofits, which support those who make, aspire to make and appreciate music. They have also led Big Machine Label Group’s longstanding partnership with General Mills’ groundbreaking hunger initiative, Outnumber Hunger, which has helped provide over 50 million meals to America’s hungry through Feeding America. Other honorees of the night included actor Ben Affleck, First Lady of Zambia Madam Esther Lungu, Wilf Family Foundations and the FedEx Corporation.

Tony Martin Racks Up Some Million-Air Awards

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Phil Graham and Leslie Roberts, Ole’s Mike Whelan, Tony Martin, John Ozier, Ben Strain, Emily Olson and BMI’s Mason Hunter

Tony Martin was presented last week with an impressive number of BMI Million-Air awards. Each of the certificates represent Martin’s songs reaching a milestone number of radio spins. His song “Just to See You Smile” has achieved five million spins, “I’ll Think of a Reason Later” reached three million spins, “Perfect,” “I Just Keep Looking,” and “No Place That Far” have all hit 2 million spins, and “Banjo”, “You Look Good In My Shirt” and “Time is Love” have all achieved their first million spins.

Ruthie Collins Co-Hosts New DIY Show Home.Made

Curb artist Ruthie Collins has been tapped to co-host Home.Made, a series of DIY vignettes that air during the Saturday morning 9 a.m.-12 p.m. EST programming block on the A&E network. The series inspires personal creativity in creating a home through design and DIY, upcycling, and recycling. “I love all things DIY,” beams Collins. “I am so passionate about turning one’s home into their own personal sanctuary. It’s amazing to see what you can do with a few pieces of rustic wood (preferably shiplap!) – and a little imagination.”